James Goodwin

"Originally from Melbourne I developed an interest in geology while undertaking a Bachelor of Science at Monash University. Before that I hadn't even considered a career in geology and only included it as an extra subject, along with biology and chemistry. However, by the end of my second year I realised that geology was the only science course that allowed me to leave the laboratory and visit some amazing locations. So I decided to major in geology and went on to complete my Bachelor of Science degree in 2008.

For my honours project, I produced a geophysical interpretation of Bass Strait, using gravity and magnetic data to assess similarities between the geology of Victoria and the geology of Tasmania. By using relatively new data sets not previously studied I was able to support the existence of a Proterozoic crustal fragment referred to as the Selwyn Block.

I was attracted to Geoscience Australia's graduate program because graduates are given the opportunity to undertake several project rotations during the year, working in key priority areas. Deciding on a choice of rotation is difficult particularly when there's such a vast spectrum of science disciplines within the organisation.

Currently, I'm at the start of my graduate year, working on a project that aims to relate the geology of Australia to the heat production from radioactive decay. This is the first of my three rotations, so it promises to be an exciting year!"

Meet the 2010 graduates